Which type of Conformal Coating should be applied?

When it comes to conformal coating it is important to know which material is used in the process. There is a great diversity of materials and of course they can all be applied to an electronic board, but does the coating material do what it is intended to do, namely protecting your electronic board against external environmental influences.

To answer this question you need at least some basic knowledge.

There are 5 types of coating materials namely Acrylic, Synthetic rubber, polyurethane, silicone and UV curable. Each material has its specific properties and the choice depends on the application to be protected.

Acrylic

  • It dries at room temperature
  • It is very resistant to moisture
  • Less resistant to chemicals
  • It is easy to remove for rework
  • Temperature range -60 to + 125 ° C

Synthetic rubber

  • It dries at room temperature
  • It is very resistant to moisture
  • Less resistant to chemicals
  • It is difficult to remove for rework
  • Temperature ranges -60 to + 125 ° C

Polyurethane

  • It dries at room temperature
  • It is resistant to moisture
  • Very good resistance to chemicals
  • It is difficult to remove for rework
  • Temperature range -60 to + 125 ° C

Silicone

  • It dries at room temperature
  • It is resistant to moisture
  • Good resistance to chemicals
  • It is easy to remove for rework
  • Temperature grade -60 to + 200 ° C

UV curable

  • It only dries with a UV oven and in places where light can come
  • It is very resistant to moisture
  • Very good resistance to chemicals
  • It is difficult to remove for rework
  • Temperature range -60 to + 125 ° C

The listed properties are global. The properties may vary per manufacturer and per type.